PEACE. Every year, Hip-Hop Linguistics creates two lists. One list contains the top hip-hop albums from major mainstream, underground and independent record labels. The other list contains the top hip-hop albums from minor independent labels and unsigned hip-hop artists. The first list contains artists you’ve likely heard of, while the second list contains artists you’ve probably not heard of.
This is that first list - the overall top picks for 2007. The list below represents the best albums hip-hop had to offer in the year 2007 from what we consider major record labels - whether mainstream, underground or independent. We highly recommend checking them all out! (more…)
Underground hip-hop legend Sage Francis will embark on a month long tour starting with the October 30th album release party for labelmate Buck 65. The Buck 65 album release show will make stops in Rhode Island and Massachusetts before hitting Baltimore with Lyrics Born and Hangar 18.
From there, Sage will spend the month of November touring with Florida rock band Against Me! Tickets are available at Strange Famous Records (http://www.strangefamousrecords.com/). Check below for tour dates in your area. (more…)
The Death Dance Tour featuring Sage Francis, Buck 65, Alias and Buddy Wakefield has begun, and man did it have an impressive NYC debut. I had a chance to see them perform this weekend at Bowery Ballroom, and it was unlike any hip-hop show I’ve ever been to.
Buddy Wakefield was OFF THE HOOK as opener, and just might have earned himself performance of the night with a series of humorous and conscious poems that really got the crowd going. Alias did an excellent job temporarily converting himself to MC before taking his turntablist duties for Sage and crew. Buck 65 is one funny cat, rapping and dancing on stage to his country-inspired trucker beats. And as always, Sage ripped the show with an entertaining combination of hot lyrics, crowd interaction and, of course, his patented dance-off, where he showcased his hip-hop dance moves for the audience to see. (more…)
Sage Francis just dropped a video for “Got Up This Morning” off his recently-released “Human The Death Dance.” It includes cameos by Brother Ali, Slug, Buck 65 and others. Check it out below.
Sage Francis “Human the Death Dance” Album Review
I received my first ever “your website sucks” email this week. Right around the site’s two year anniversary, too. Early one morning, some kid wrote a huge email talking about how underground hip-hop sucks “because it’s emo.” He said that sites like this one made kids erroneously think that it is “okay to be the Beastie Boys.” He asked if it ever occurred to me that “maybe hip-hop is supposed to be raunchy, dirty and kinda stupid.” And he said that rappers such as El-P, Slug of Atmosphere and Sage Francis, who he referred to as “crackas on the mic,” aren’t really hip-hop … they’re just “emo punk bands.” (more…)
If a tree falls in the woods with no one to hear it, does it make a sound? How about if a white rapper raps and no black people hear it … is he really a rapper? MC Serch of old-school hip-hop group 3rd Bass thinks not.
In an open letter published on Davey D’s MySpace page this week, MC Serch expressed his belief that white rappers can only consider themselves rappers if black people like them. (more…)
Mos Def is my man. Easily one of my top five MCs ever. So you can imagine how amped I was when I found out weeks ago that he was coming to Denver last Saturday, August 26.
Last time I had the opportunity to see Mos, it was last year when he was on tour with Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. Unfortunately, Mos came down with the flu and had to cancel his portion of the show. Therefore, I was excited to see what we had all missed the year before. (more…)
Sage Francis “A Healthy Distrust” Album Review
I just finished my second reading of William Shakespeare’s Othello this week, interestingly enough during the same time period in which I was studying Sage Francis’ new album, “A Healthy Distrust.” (more…)
PEACE. Every year, Hip-Hop Linguistics creates two lists. One list contains the top hip-hop albums from major mainstream, underground and independent record labels. The other list contains the top hip-hop albums from minor independent labels and unsigned hip-hop artists. The first list contains artists you’ve likely heard of, while the second list contains artists you’ve probably not heard of.
Underground hip-hop legend Sage Francis will embark on a month long tour starting with the October 30th album release party for labelmate Buck 65. The Buck 65 album release show will make stops in Rhode Island and Massachusetts before hitting Baltimore with Lyrics Born and Hangar 18.
The Death Dance Tour featuring Sage Francis, Buck 65, Alias and Buddy Wakefield has begun, and man did it have an impressive NYC debut. I had a chance to see them perform this weekend at Bowery Ballroom, and it was unlike any hip-hop show I’ve ever been to.
Rating: 
If a tree falls in the woods with no one to hear it, does it make a sound? How about if a white rapper raps and no black people hear it … is he really a rapper? MC Serch of old-school hip-hop group 3rd Bass thinks not.
